Short News Summary for Saturday, September 1, 2018. Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the tenth day of September 1397 moment by moment here.
The latest news
22:26 10.6.1397 - Phone conversation between the foreign ministers of Iran and France On Saturday, September 1, the foreign ministers of Iran and France discussed the JCPOA, regional issues, and bilateral relations in a phone conversation. The Iranian Foreign Ministry did not provide details about this conversation. Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, stated last Thursday that Iran must negotiate on three issues: nuclear commitments after 2025, missile activities, and its role in stabilizing the Middle East. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected negotiations on these matters the following day. On Tuesday, August 27, the French President, in a phone conversation with Hassan Rouhani, reaffirmed his country's commitment to the JCPOA and called for broader dialogue between Iran and the West on other areas, including Iran's missile program and its role in the Middle East. The conversation between the foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey occurred shortly after Reuters reported that French foreign ministry instructions advised diplomats and other officials to avoid "unnecessary travel to Iran." The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman described this report as "incorrect" on Wednesday, September 5.
20:50 10.6.1397 - Memorial service for John McCain held at Washington National Cathedral The memorial service for Senator John McCain was held on Saturday, attended by three former U.S. presidents, several members of Congress, leaders from various countries, and family members. The ceremony began with emotional remarks from Meghan McCain, John McCain's daughter, at the National Cathedral in Washington. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, former U.S. presidents, along with their wives, were seated in the front row. George Bush, Barack Obama, and former National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger were among the speakers. John McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona who served six terms, passed away on September 3 at the age of 81 due to advanced brain cancer.
19:11 10.6.1397 - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman calls Reuters report on missile transfer to Iraq "ridiculous" One day after Reuters published an exclusive report about "the transfer of dozens of missiles from Iran to Iraq" and "Iran's intention to establish a missile base in that country," the spokesman for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry rejected the report and called it "ridiculous." According to IRIB News Agency, Bahram Qasemi described the report as "irrelevant and fundamentally false," aimed solely at instilling fear among regional countries and continuing Iranophobia. Reuters reported that, according to Iranian, Western, and Iraqi sources, Iranian officials decided about a year and a half ago to use their missiles in Iraq, but practical activities have accelerated in recent months.
19:10 10.6.1397 - Telegram channel close to Ahmadinejad: Israeli director arrested for espionage in 2012 The Telegram channel "Dolat Bahar," close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reported that in 2012, during Heydar Moslehi's tenure as Minister of Intelligence, "the Israeli director of the anti-espionage department of this ministry" was arrested on charges of espionage. The channel also stated that "the greatest influence" of Israeli agents was during Moslehi's time, and he "resisted the former president's warnings to dismiss them until eventually it led to his removal." Ahmadinejad's insistence on dismissing Moslehi and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's order for him to remain in that position became newsworthy in April and May 2011 and reportedly led to Ahmadinejad's "11-day house arrest." Two days ago, Moslehi criticized Ahmadinejad again in a speech, stating, "The enemy exploited the religious zeal of the ninth and tenth governments' president."
19:10 10.6.1397 - Plane crash in Sochi leaves one dead A passenger plane with 170 passengers on board skidded off the runway and caught fire while landing at Sochi Airport in southwestern Russia on Saturday. According to the latest reports, the incident resulted in the death of one airport worker and injuries to 18 passengers. According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, the plane skidded off the runway due to bad weather conditions and caught fire after veering towards a nearby river. Following the incident, 18 passengers were injured, and one airport worker died of a heart attack while evacuating passengers from the plane. According to TASS news agency, an investigation into the incident has begun, and inspectors have been dispatched to the scene to gather evidence.
19:08 10.6.1397 - Ali Motahari protests to the head of state television about the broadcast of a video related to his speech in Golpayegan Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, in a letter to the head of Iran's state television, called the broadcast of part of the controversies surrounding his speech in Golpayegan "malicious and targeted," stating, "This was not befitting of state television." Based on a video that was published on social media the previous day, a young man harshly criticized Motahari for discussing the Ghadir event while the price of a Paykan car had reached 45 million tomans. In his letter, Motahari referred to the young man as "a political actor" and accused the television of broadcasting the video "edited and maliciously as always." Motahari also wrote on his Instagram that "the publication of this video by Mr. Rasai clarifies all ambiguities." Hamid Rasai, a former member of parliament and a member of the Steadfast Front, has not yet responded to these statements.
16:15 10.6.1397 - Judiciary confirms Parliament Speaker's view on questioning the President Three days after the Parliament Speaker announced that the case of questioning President Hassan Rouhani could not be referred to the judiciary, the deputy of the judiciary confirmed this view. Ali Larijani, the Parliament Speaker, stated last Wednesday that the questioning of Rouhani was not referable to the judiciary due to "the lack of mention of the violation of law and refusal to raise the question" by representatives. In this regard, the spokesman for the Guardian Council also described the Parliament's regulations regarding questioning the President as "ambiguous." Now, the official IRNA news agency quotes Zabihollah Khodaian, the deputy of the judiciary, stating that the judiciary's view is also the same and that only "if violations of law were mentioned in the questioning of the President, it would be possible to send the case to this authority if representatives were not satisfied with the answers." Previously, several representatives, including Mojtaba Zolnour, the main designer of the question for Rouhani, and Jawad Karimi Qodosi, another conservative representative, stated that if representatives were not satisfied with the President's responses in the public session, a case would be sent for review to the judiciary.
15:13 10.6.1397 - Two victims of the Amsterdam attack are American citizens Reuters reported on Saturday, citing the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, that the two individuals injured in the attack yesterday in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, are "American citizens." Last Friday, a young Afghan national attacked two people with a knife at the central station in Amsterdam, injuring them. Immediately after the attack, police shot and arrested the young man. The attack by the 19-year-old Afghan, who is said to have resided in Germany, has been described as a random attack. The police announced on Friday night that the motive of this young attacker is still unknown, but "all scenarios, including a terrorist motive, will be considered."
13:11 10.6.1397 - Human Rights Watch warns about the health condition of Arash Sadeghi in prison Human Rights Watch has warned that neglecting the treatment of Arash Sadeghi, a civil activist imprisoned with cancer, poses an "irreparable danger." The organization tweeted: "He must be treated as soon as possible in medical facilities outside of prison, and any delay in this could have irreparable consequences." In mid-July of this year, Amnesty International issued a statement calling for the immediate transfer of Arash Sadeghi from Evin Prison to a specialized cancer center. According to Amnesty International, despite medical recommendations for the immediate transfer of this prisoner to "Imam Khomeini Hospital" in Tehran, responsible authorities have only agreed to treat him at "Madani Hospital" in Karaj.
12:34 10.6.1397 - Saudi official refers to the plan to build an 'island' at the border with Qatar An advisor to the Saudi Crown Prince referred on Friday in a tweet to the project of building Selwa Island at the border of his country with Qatar. In a map published by IRNA, the proposed channel is marked with a red dotted line. The construction of this channel at the border with Qatar effectively separates Qatar from Saudi territory, turning it into an island. According to AFP, Saud al-Qahtani, advisor to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, stated that this "historic and large project will change the geography of the region." The commencement of this waterway construction is likely to further strain relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and three of its Arab allies, Bahrain, the UAE, and Egypt, have severed relations with Qatar for about 14 months, accusing it of "supporting terrorism." These four countries have cited one of the conditions for re-establishing relations with Qatar as cutting ties with Iran. Qatar has consistently denied the accusation of "supporting terrorism." According to IRNA, citing Saudi media, "Saudi Arabia is planning to create a new maritime channel from the Selwa area to Khor al-Adid along its eastern coast, approximately 60 kilometers long, 200 meters wide, and 20 meters deep."